Started fig trees from cuttings -- but they die when I move them!

11 years ago

Hi!

My father planted a huge fig tree at our family house. He passed away 8 years ago and my mom's going to move out of the house soon, and I wanted to preserve some of his huge fig tree. I successfully rooted 8 pieces, then (foolishly) planted them in a shady corner of my own central Phoenix flood-irrigated yard. I put them under plastic wrap to keep moisture in, and they all thrived.

I must have waited too long to move them. The largest was about 2 feet tall, the smallest about 6". One by one, I've tried taking them out, and putting them into pots, and sure enough, they wilt in a day and then die a few days later. Today, I tried using a large shovel and moved the smallest and the largest ones to a new, sunny location in the yard. I thought I did well, it came out rather easily, though one root did snap on the large one (it was deep!). Sure enough, hours later, the leaves have wilted. The small stem is falling over, but the large stem still seems firm though none of the leaves look good.

I wonder if it's the sudden sun that is getting to them. Or if I moved them in a way that damaged the roots. I can't leave them where they are because they are inches from the foundation of the house.

Any tips would be appreciated!

Thanks

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Comments (4)

hoosierbanana
11 years ago
Even if you got most of the thick roots the thin roots are lost, those are the ones that actually absorb water. I would have been much better if you waited a little bit longer actually and moved them when they were dormant, because the leaves draw more water than the disturbed roots can provide. The soft green stems and leaves are used to getting much more water so they are wilting.

I would go ahead and clip all the leaves and hope for the best. Maybe you could leave a few at the top and see if the trees can handle keeping them happy. Leaving them all on you risk the whole plant drying out, the tree wants to drop those leaves but it takes time and it might dry out first. That is probably why the others died.
sshanky thanked hoosierbanana
sshanky
Original Author
10 years ago
I didn't think of that! Good idea. I went outside and removed the leaves. The stems don't seem dead just yet...I'm attaching some photos. There are still plenty of trees left for me to move, and I will wait until they go dormant before touching them. You'll see photos of the unmoved healthy trees, as well as the ones I moved, with and without leaves.

Thanks!
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hoosierbanana
10 years ago
Looks like they are going to be OK, the tips straightened back up so the plant has good internal water pressure again. Glad I could help and hope you are enjoying some of your own figs by this time next year.
sshanky thanked hoosierbanana
sshanky
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you! Your idea to remove the leaves probably saved them. I can already enjoy some figs from the donor tree. In Phoenix they were ready a while ago. Problem here is that the birds get them before they're as good as I would want them to be...